Messenger file photo Drew Schaeffer drives to the basket for St. Edmond last season.

In his nearly three decades as St. Edmond’s boys basketball coach, Adolph Kochendorfer thought he’d experienced a little of everything.

But Monday night’s season opener against Bishop Garrigan officially tips off a year that will be different for even the sagest of leaders.

Varsity tip is set for 7 p.m. in the Gael gym.

“We’re just stressing the importance of safety and consistency,” said Kochendorfer, who begins his 28th campaign at SEHS. “We keep reminding our guys that if they want to continue to have a season, they have to be as careful as possible both at practice and away from school. We want to keep this going for as long as possible. You just don’t know.

“So much of it is out of our control, but as long as we have this opportunity, we might as well make the most of it. We’ve been wearing masks during all of our drills and following the protocol.”

St. Edmond welcomes 10 upperclassmen back to its roster, including regular starters Drew Schaeffer (8.6 points per game last year) and Hayden Mayer (7.4). Schaeffer, a senior guard, and Mayer, a junior post, are slated to start alongside senior Anthony Lacina, junior Quinten McCarville and senior Sean Flattery, who all saw the court last winter as well.

“We’ve had some issues with kids quarantining, which throws off your rhythm a little and slows down what you’re trying to accomplish,” Kochendorfer said. “But it just comes with the territory now. We’re working very hard as a team and getting better every day.

“It’s important that we keep building our depth, given the uncertainty of both the rotation and the schedule (moving forward).”

The Golden Bears were the Class 1A state runner-up in 2020, reaching the finals to play one of the last live sporting events in Iowa at Wells Fargo Arena before everything was shut down last March. Six-foot-9 all-state post standout Angelo Winkel returns, but Garrigan graduated its four other senior starters.

“They’re kind of an unknown at this point after Winkel,” Kochendorfer said. “We’re just going to have to see how things go and make adjustments as the game (progresses).”

The Golden Bears were 24-3 last year. Winkel, an Augustana University recruit, averaged 18.7 points and 10 rebounds.

Seniors Joseph Meis, Kyphus Goche, Kellen Murphy, Kyle Schaaf and Isaiah Plathe all lettered for Garrigan a season ago.

Kochendorfer admits “we’re not very big overall,” with only Mayer standing taller than 6-3.

“We’ll rely more on our quickness and athleticism,” Kochendorfer said. “We try to stress as much as possible that you can go out and earn your time on the court during the minutes you get. If you play defense, rebound and hustle, you’ll find your way onto the court. We always need that. Every team does.

“I think we’ll have some (lineup) options, which is important, but until we go live, it’s hard to know for sure who will be able to do what.”